Call Spirits in Your Past **Book Two**

Chapter 53 (Monday afternoon)

Teremki did wear shoes in the desert this time, unlike trying to teach Dragonfly knife-throwing. Even though he really wished for a blanket, to cover the rocky pebbles jabbing his legs where he sat.

Where's Verspri? He asked.

All I get of him is a weird, um...okay, you know what an electronic scrambler is? Ana asked. Not waiting for a reply, she continued, it sends encoded messages, so enemies can't tell what the message is. That's what it feels like is happening with Verspri. He's sending scrambled messages.

That's weird, Kwayo sent. When you two are in the town, it just feels like I'm shouting into a pillow. Except the pillow's really far away. Or... Anyway, Verspri must be having weird stuff happen.

Did some of the school's defenses get put up somehow? Dryda asked.

Their telepathy washed with uncertainty and Teremki bit his lip.

Well, Ana thought sarcastically, that's great.

In other news, Kwayo sent, we got caught. By a large robot komodo dragon.

Wasn't it a lizard? Dryda asked, confused.

Yeah. A komodo dragon is a kind of lizard, Kwayo explained.

Oh. Oops.

Shouldn't you be more concerned with the fact that you got captured, not what kind of robot did it? Ana asked. She glanced at Teremki, like this proved some sort of point.

All they did was lock us in a classroom, Kwayo defended.

...A classroom you haven't escaped yet, apparently, Ana replied.

Well, yes, he conceded, but we were waiting for the next guard change so we could sneak out quietly. We don't want another robot lizard getting called in.

Teremki glanced back at the town. There was nobody in sight, since the whole town was working in the fields, trying to harvest everything before the desert weather ruined it.

Another robot lizard? Ana asked. They have more of them lying around?

We don't know, Kwayo replied. The first one came through a teleporter.

Speaking of teleporters, Teremki said, maybe we should see if we can use Asha's to help you.

That might be difficult, Kwayo sent. How are you going to get the teleporter to show up where we are? I somehow doubt Asha saved the coordinates for you.

We could ask Alura, Ana shrugged.

She knows where the school is, but that still wouldn't get it inside our classroom-turned-cushy-prison.

Um...we could use an electronic scrambler that sends us your location? Teremki guessed. But unscrambled?

So a tracker? Dryda said.

...Okay, yeah.

They fell quiet.

Do you know how to get a teleporter to lock onto coordinates being streamed from a source hundreds of miles away? Kwayo asked. Maybe thousands?

Nope. No idea.

What would you even do if you got the teleporter to us? Dryda asked. Too many more people here and it's going to be really hard to stay undetected.

Teremki glanced toward Ana, who shifted on her solitary rock. First of all, Ana sent, you've already been detected, so that's not an issue. But...we would bring you back here? It doesn't sound like you're having much fun.

Why would we leave? Dryda asked. This school will still be here. They'll still be taking kids from their families.

Kwayo sent staticy confusion. Who got taken from their family?

Maro.

Who's Maro? Teremki and Ana both asked.

Dryda sent an image, somewhat blurry, of a boy with dark hair messily swept across his forehead, above a round, button nose. He can shoot inky redness from his hands, she added.

Ana sent, okay, but Dryda, why would you stay? You all got attacked by a robot.

Somebody's got to.

But you don't have a plan, Teremki tried to send nicely. How are you going to change anything?

Dryda sent frustration and hope and sympathy and determination.

Well...I might have an idea, Kwayo said. It suddenly just occurred to me.

They waited. Ana rolled her eyes at Kwayo's "big reveal" emotion.

Somebody's going to visit us eventually, Kwayo explained. There's no restroom in here, for starters. And they have to feed us.

Technically, Ana pointed out, they don't.

Or maybe somebody comes to interrogate us about what happened and asks where we came from and why we're here, Kwayo continued.

Dryda laughed. That sounds like an alien movie.

Kwayo ignored her. Then, we take them prisoner and tell them to take us to their--okay, maybe this is an alien movie.

Teremki bit his lip. That didn't sound like a very strong plan.

I agree, Ana said. But...

We're staying, Dryda sent.

Yep, Kwayo added.

Teremki mentally sighed, meeting Ana's gaze.

But be careful? Ana sent. Please.